


Blue Skies

by Kairomone



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon, Pre-Epilogue, Shameless Smut, maybe some catching of feelings, with plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:34:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24238126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairomone/pseuds/Kairomone
Summary: Left all alone Orihime has made it her duty to protect Karakura town from hollows. All goes well until an ex baddie shows up and shakes up her life.
Relationships: Inoue Orihime/Grimmjow Jaegerjaques
Comments: 32
Kudos: 101
Collections: Make it smutty





	Blue Skies

**Author's Note:**

> My self imposed challenge for this story was to 1. make it in canon 2. the setting can't be during the arrancar arc 3. make it smutty. So I ended up with post canon setting (let's ignore the dumpster fire that is the epilogue). I know that there are already tons of stories set during the time Orihime was a prisoner in Las Noches, so I didn't want to repeat things that have already been done multiple times. Plus I thought that it would be fun to write them post canon. I'm also going to mostly ignore the light novel series that were set after the end of the manga since I have not read them and my memory of canon events might be a bit hazy since I read the manga as it came out. I will try to keep things in canon with the help of the wiki, but I might mess up, anyway this is fanfiction where sometimes for the sake of the story canon can take a hike.
> 
> It's also stupid how for GrimmHime I can just get the vaguest idea of what I want and the damn story then just writes itself after that. A couple of days of drafting and this thing just forms itself as a full-fledged story while for other ships I have to agonize over the plot and all of the little things I'll want to include for months. Ridiculous.
> 
> Anyway, this is for you guys, the few GrimmHime fans that are still around and a small celebration for the anime finally coming back in 2021.

It was lonely. She had been battling the feeling ever since Sora died, but now when all of her friends were off doing their own things she felt it much more. Chad left the city to start on his boxing career. Kurosaki-kun, Ishida and Tatsuki left for university. And Rukia was busy getting order back in Soul Society.

Orihime wished that she would have had the funds to join her friends in uni. Her aunt was unable to support her with that choice what with trying to put her own children through college and Orihime's funds simply didn't cover it. She was stuck in Karakura, working full time as a confectioner in a bakery. She earned enough to support herself and not worry about ending up on the streets which was a plus. Sadly this choice disconnected her from others.

Rangiku sometimes dropped by for a visit and she always enjoyed their chats and shopping sprees. Similarly, she tried keeping in touch with her friends, calling them as often as she could. For the first two months it had worked until she'd realized that they were getting more distant. Tatsuki had made new friends and shared stories and inside jokes she could not connect to. Ishida had always been distant and she felt guilty for disturbing Chad from sleep every time she called (time zones sucked). She didn't even want to get into her relationship with Kurosaki-kun or lack thereof. It was awkward every time she called him and she dreaded each call to the point where she had started avoiding them.

She had tried making new friends, expand her social circle. She just had the sucky luck of being kind of bad at it. Who knew that making friends in high school was a lot easier than it was at the workplace? Most of her co-workers were older than her and apart from engaging in polite chatter they had their own lives to worry about, some found her too weird to talk to her much and the few sort of friends she had were just work buddies. She had tried going out and doing stuff, joining some kind of clubs, but it never worked out. It wasn't like she could talk about her life much anyway, normal people didn't know the things she did and had done.

What rotten luck.

It was lonely and no matter how much she tried to immerse herself in TV shows or any other kind of nonsense on TV or the internet it never was the same. She almost started missing the days when a friend of hers or even she were in some kind of peril and in need of a rescue. It was a horrible thought to have and she cursed herself for even thinking it.

Things were quiet, even in Karakura town. Whenever she could, she helped out a lost spirit find a shinigami to pass to the Soul Society or eliminate a hollow. It gave her something to do that wasn't just sitting around, holed up in her apartment. It was kind of nostalgic and it made her feel closer to her friends.

xxx

It was early evening, the sunset colouring the streets in hues of orange. Orihime huddled in her jacket, the early spring cold nipping at her skin. She had gotten a sudden craving for spicy chips which had led her to put on some pants and make a quick run down to the market for some snacks. By what was instinct at this point, she kept a lookout for any wandering spirits or hollows.

She didn't particularly like engaging with hollows, some of them too gross looking for her to keep a straight face or some of them too chatty. Fighting them was hard sometimes, pushing her to use hand to hand, which she liked to avoid whenever she could. She was glad that that wasn't always the case and her Koten Zanshun was strong enough to dispose of a hollow in a single strike. The local shinigami even approved of her help. He couldn't be everywhere at once and what with Karakura being a popular draw for hollows there was always work to do.

Orihime nonchalantly swept her eyes over the street. Only a couple of pedestrians marred the street, occasional car passing by. An old lady walking her dog, a group of kids chatting, a man talking on the phone, a couple walking hand in hand, a teenager with shockingly blue hair. She did a double-take on the last one.

That was no teenager with bad hair dye.

She froze in place.

What was he doing here?

She hadn't personally seen Grimmjow since her time in Hueco Mundo and he had changed, wearing more black than white now. It was so bizarre seeing him in her world. He stood out like a ridiculous beacon, yet people unconsciously walked around him, like he had a bubble of people repellent around him. Must be the strength of his reiatsu. He had changed sides during the war, but did that mean that he was still on their side?

He was leisurely sauntering down the street, hands deep in his pockets, not focused on anything in particular. Her eyes strayed to the zanpakutõ by his side. Contrary to her he didn't either recognize or hadn't noticed her.

Just when it looked like he was about to pass by her she stepped in his way, face hard. "What are you doing here?"

Grimmjow sneered, recognition finally passing his face. "Just walking."

"Here? In the human world?"

"What's it to you?" He took a threatening step towards her.

She stayed unmoving. He had other motives, surely. He was supposedly one of the rulers of Hueco Mundo alongside Harribel and Nel, Urahara had once told her. She would guess that being in charge of a whole domain is something time-consuming. His being here only meant that he was looking for something. "Kurosaki-kun isn't here."

"What makes you think I'm looking for him?"

"Then why are you here if not for a fight?"

Another step towards her and this time she had to will herself not to back away. He was almost in her personal space. Even after all this time he physically hadn't aged at all, features just as sharp as she remembered them.

"Like I said, just having a stroll."

She furrowed her brows. "Why would you do that?"

A muscle ticked in his jaw and he had balled his fists in his pockets, looking at her with such scorn that she expected to get sliced in half any second. Instead, he tried to sidestep her.

She stood in his path again.

Grimmjow glared at her, raising his head in a patronizing way and showing few sharp teeth.

Orihime stood her ground, morphing her face in the sternest look she could manage. She wasn't going to make this easy. If he wasn't here for Kurosaki-kun then he was here for trouble. Maybe he had been fighting on their side, it didn't change the fact that he still was a powerful hollow, an evil monster.

"In case you forgot, Princess, Hueco Mundo isn't the most riveting of places, especially after hundreds of years scourging through it," he reluctantly answered, the sneer softening.

She blinked, surprised that he had bothered to answer at all. And really? He was here just because he was in a need of a scenic stroll? She wasn't daft, there is no way that Grimmjow, the arrancar that enjoyed fighting and mischief like no other, was here just to walk. It wasn't right.

There were multiple questions at the tip of her tongue all accusing him of up to no good, but while she had been wording them in her mind he slipped by her and she panicked. "I'm watching you. If you make any kind of trouble I'll...I'll..." She didn't know what she'll do. Certainly, he was a lot stronger than her and could take whatever she could throw at him.

He knew that as well and laughed her threat off.

A flush of frustration settled on her cheeks. She couldn't do anything to stop him from walking away, not unless she wanted to get smacked in the face. There was a line with him and being too pushy was crossing it and just putting herself in the line of fire.

After everything that had happened, she would have expected for him to stay in Hueco Mundo and never show his face in the human world again. It would have been the sensible thing. But, of course, he was anything but.

She hoped that this was just a one-off and once he realizes that Kurosaki-kun wasn't in town he'll leave for good. If something happened she won't be able to handle it alone. She'll have to inform Urahara and keep tabs on his location.

xxx

In the next two weeks, she saw him again at irregular intervals. Every time she approached him he brushed her off with the same excuse or simply ignored her and flashed away with those whatchamacallit steps.

It was annoying.

Urahara had told her not to worry too much and that he'll take care of it and she took his word for it. Except it was two weeks later and Grimmjow still appeared every now and then.

She was apprehensive about his presence. It wasn't normal. He was looking for something and she was still no closer in figuring out what it was. Kurosaki-kun wasn't here and she would have figured that by now he would get the memo. Was he even looking for something?

For now, she gave him the benefit of doubt and trusted that he really was here just for a walk. Maybe he did just need a change of scenery.

xxx

After a week she came across him again. He was sitting near a pond in the park, arms resting on his knees, seemingly observing the ducks splashing around. This was the first time she had seen him not in motion.

She had been coming back from work exhausted after a full day on her feet. She'd even gotten to take home some of the defected pastries that she had messed up. Orihime was almost willing to let him stew in whatever was bothering him and go home and relax, but it wasn't in her nature to ignore someone upset, even if they were evil.

Not many people were around, the dreary day keeping most to indoors and the few that were outside walked in rushed steps. Dark clouds were rolling in the sky, threatening rain any minute.

Tentatively she approached him, noting that there was a heavier crease between his brows than usual and a nasty snarl on his lips. With as little noise as she could manage she sat down not too far from him. The grass was cold and still a bit wet from rain earlier in the day.

He acknowledged her with a snort and an eye roll. "Piss off, Princess."

Her back stiffened and she prepared herself for another brush off, just in case. "Why are you here, Grimmjow?"

The zanpakutõ at his side clinked as he changed his position, almost like trying to scoot away from her. "Are you stupid or just selectively thick?"

She swallowed her nerves. "Well...you keep coming back here without any explanation. I'm curious."

He picked up his zanpakutõ and she stiffened even more, afraid that he'll use it to slice her in two, except he kept in in his hands, eyeing the sheath. "It's quiet here."

Orihime blinked. She failed to understand how a bustling town could be quieter than a desert, of course, there still were numerous hollows in the desert that undoubtedly made lots of noise, but that shouldn't be a detriment to him.

"It's the only place where the bitch queen duo won't be on my ass 24/7."

She tilted her head in confusion. He wasn't showing any inclination to explain either, so she asked further, "Are there problems in Hueco Mundo?"

"There are always problems."

"Any way I can help?"

He finally looked at her, frowning. "If you could put those hoes Harribel and Nel in place I'd be in your fucking debt."

Ah, a problem between the former Espada. "Can't you guys just talk out your problems? Nel is really nice." She had never met Harribel, but she doubted the other arrancar was that unreasonable.

Grimmjow snorted. "If they would bother to listen to me. It's all about what we can't do – how we shouldn't fight in the newly renovated castle, how we shouldn't kill each other and show respect to the lower arrancars. I swear they are worse than the fucking shinigami, sprucing up the place with bullshit and making us into a bunch of pussies."

Orihime giggled. Sounded like he simply had problems sharing the rule of Las Noches. And what with Nel and Harribel having the majority vote on things, he essentially got ignored. "Can't you just..." she motioned faintly towards his zanpakutõ. She would never advocate violence, though she didn't know how arrancars worked. Maybe violence was how they communicated the best, solved issues. Maybe they even baked for a good joust. Imagining Grimmjow having a bake-off against Nel and losing because his sweet rolls weren't sweet and fluffy enough made a weird mental picture. She hid her smile behind her hand.

He scowled at his zanpakutõ, turning it in his hands. "I can't. I tried, plenty of times, but..."

"But?"

His jaw was clenched and she thought that he was going to burn a hole in the ground from the glare.

She was so curious that she'd angled her whole body towards him, eliminating some of the space. It looked like he was battling just trying to get the words out.

"I'm not fucking strong enough, alright!" Suddenly he shouted and she leaned back in shock. "I've been training, using up all of my time trying to get stronger, but I just...can't get there." It sounded like it almost pained him to admit it. "Every time I feel like I'm close, they prove me wrong and I get no say in things. They have Segunda Etapa, I don't."

Ah, she remembered that. Ulquiorra had used it when fighting against Kurosaki – kun. Did this mean that not every Espada used to have one? Now when she thought about it Grimmjow hadn't used it.

Orihime didn't know what to say, so she settled for staring at the splashing ducks instead. She doubted he wanted her pity. But maybe she can make him feel better in other ways. She still had a bag full of pastries. Pulling one of them out in random, she offered it to him. "Do you...want a cinnamon roll? It's a bit lumpy, but I promise that it still tastes good. I baked it myself."

He eyed the pastry like it was an offending evil slug. "I don't eat human food."

"Oh." Deflated she put her hands in her lap. "What do you eat then?"

Grimmjow stared at her for a while, searching for something in her face until he turned his gaze back to the quacking ducks. "Hollows."

"O-oh? Isn't that...like cannibalism?" She had never before considered on what the arrancars sustained themselves. She knew that hollows ate souls and she had thought the same for higher-level hollows, thus her apprehension of his presence in Karakura.

"Yeah." He didn't elaborate on the topic and she was afraid to probe further, scared of what she might hear.

They sat in quiet for a while, the sound of quacking filling the air and the occasional breeze ruffling her hair. She settled for eating the cinnamon roll herself, it had tempted her with its luscious coating and sweet smell. It was kind of nice, considering her company, just sitting and enjoying nature. She didn't get a lot of chances to do so.

A weird thought popped in her mind and she gasped in excitement. "Oh, oh, how about you could help me in keeping Karakura clean from hollows?"

He eyed her like she'd lost her marbles.

She deflated a bit. "You know, since you like coming here a lot a-and you eat hollows..." she trailed off, getting quieter with each word. She hid her blushing face behind her hair. It was a dumb suggestion and she regretted opening her mouth. Curse sweet cinnamon rolls for making her feel comfortable.

"I only come here because it's faster opening a Garganta to a place that has already been opened multiple times. What makes you think I'd want to help you anyway?"

She shrunk into herself, turning herself away from his gaze. "I don't know. Forget I said anything."

Thankfully he didn't press the subject and it was dropped. Her little embarrassing slip discouraged her from speaking further. She probably shouldn't try to speak anyway. It would only lead to nervous babbling about her favourite TV show anyway.

The setting sun painted the water in warm colours and she was completely entrapped with how the ducks made ripples across the water and how it changed the colours. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed him leave.

xxx

After that mess of a conversation, she didn't see him for over a week, didn't even sense him. She must have buggered things up real bad if he had decided to avoid the town completely. Though it probably was for the best.

Orihime still had a duty, even if it was self-imposed, and helped spirits whenever she could and disposed hollows that the shinigami missed. It helped her keep her senses sharp and was a good exercise for her abilities. Losing the support of her friends pushed her to take action more herself unless she wished to look at a soul in peril and not do anything. It had taught her how to be more confrontational and push away her own apprehensions and help those in need. She had these skills and it'd be a shame not to use them.

At this particular night, she had come across a nasty hollow on the street in the shape of a deranged coyote and a porcupine. It wasn't a pretty sight. The hollow protected itself with claws and flying needles, laughing at her feeble attempts to hit its mask.

She tried to send Tsubaki on his own to hit the mask, but the little fairy could never get close enough without getting damaged. Her Santen Kesshun protected from most of its attacks and every now and then she used Shiten Kõshun to deflect the needles. Being only a supportive fighter in the past and transitioning to full offence hadn't been smooth for her. She was still in the process of figuring out new attack technique combos

One time she managed to get Tsubaki to hit the mask, but by that point, she'd lost confidence in herself and the attack had only cracked the mask and Tsubaki had been hit aside. It was like the world was reminding her that she wasn't made for this and purposefully made her feel like a child way over her head. Didn't help that she had had a bad day at work that had shattered her confidence a bit.

It frustrated her and she tried talking to Tsubaki again for another attack. The residential shinigami was nowhere in sight and no one else that could help was near. It was up to her. She should just suck it up and finish this so she can go back home and enjoy a nice bath. This shouldn't have caused her so much trouble. She has taken out much stronger hollows in the past.

But this was it, she was finally properly irritated and tired, this time she'll kill the pesky hollow.

Only when she had geared Tsubaki for another attack she saw a zanpakutõ spear the hollow from the behind, right through its mask. The hollow fell on the ground, dead.

She froze.

Could it be?

Rukia? Kurosaki-kun?

Oh. A bubble of happiness erupted in her chest until the real perpetrator stepped out of the shadow of a building and into the streetlight.

"Fuck you're pathetic. Can't even dispose of a lowly hollow. How the fuck did you survive through the war?"

Orihime gaped at Grimmjow and how he sneered at the dead body of the hollow. He sheathed his zanpakutõ and stopped right before her and her shield, hands in his pockets.

She called back her Shun Shun Rikka and frowned. "I had it. I was just having a bad day, that's why it gave me trouble." She crossed her arms and pouted. "Besides I'm better at defence," she muttered.

He snorted. "You better leave the fighting to the pros, little girl before you get killed."

She gaped and glared, pointing a finger at him. "You're a pig."

"What? I'm just stating the facts."

After a moment more of glaring at his smug face, she pivoted on her heel. Her bath called for her oh so deliciously. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Grimmjow right now and she wasn't comfortable in how he pushed her buttons.

"I accept," he suddenly called out.

Orihime paused in her step. Slowly she turned to face him again.

He was staring at the ground, posture slouched and if possible he almost looked embarrassed.

"What?"

"I'm not repeating myself."

Carefully she stepped closer to him, still paying mind to keep a considerable distance. It was kind of amusing to see him in such a state of fluster. "What do you accept?"

"The hollows," he bit out and she inclined her head for him to continue. "Here. The hollows. That cleanup thing you're doing."

Oh. She had successfully erased that little part of their last conversation from her mind. "Why?"

He shrugged, avoiding looking at her. "Got nothing better to do."

It sounded fishy. "You're just here 'cause you're waiting for Kurosaki-kun to return." It had been the only conclusion she could make of his constant presence.

Suddenly he grinned, finally meeting her eyes. "Maybe." Aha, she knew it. "I never did beat him and I think a rematch is in order."

"Did you get your Segunda thingy?"

He scrunched his nose at her phrasing. "No, not yet."

"You want to get beat again?"

"What makes you think I'll lose?"

She thought for a moment, chewing on her lip. "Because you always lose?"

"Hey! I don't always lose." He was sneering at her again and this time she had to giggle at his defensiveness.

"Okay."

"I don't."

She nodded with a smile. "Gotcha."

Suddenly he dropped his sneer and relaxed. "You're fucking with me, aren't you?"

Orihime giggled, hiding her smile behind her hand. "Maybe a little, but you're too easy to rile up."

He wanted to say something in protest, but seeing her knowing smile he bit it down and glared.

"Okay, you can help me with the hollows. I always appreciate the help." No matter how double-faced it sometimes was. This went a lot better than she had expected. She had even teased him and he hadn't exploded in her face. Was that progress?

Grimmjow didn't say anything else and she was getting uncomfortable under his piercing gaze. In an attempt to stow a nervous mouth diarrhoea, she waved a short goodbye and stiffly ran from him. Not a graceful exit.

She thought she was home free until he caught up with her in a flash. "Aren't you, like patrolling or something for them now?"

"No. I'm going home."

"You should patrol. There might be more hollows, I can feel them."

"Okay, you can take care of them." She congratulated herself for keeping her voice level. His sudden want to help her unnerved her. A lot. She needed time to process this, this...whatever it was. It had been her suggestion, but it hadn't been something she had ever expected to be accepted.

He didn't push it any further only growling something under his breath and she made her merry way home alone. Spending her evening fighting hollows wasn't how she wanted to waste it anyway. Her bath and the fluffy new loofah she got were calling her name. The thought of home improved her mood a lot and she spent the rest of the way singing about clouds and how they looked like loofahs.

xxx

For the next three weeks, they fell into some sort of routine. He showed up during a random time at night, dragged her out of her apartment and they went out hunting. She had honestly been surprised that he had kept his word at all. It made her job so much easier though and she got a lot more done faster. It still made her apprehensive about his motives and the eagerness he exhibited when tracking hollows with her… it was just bizarre. Of all people, why her?

This did allow her to focus more on helping spirits, despite his protests that it was a pointless job and something that the local shinigami should be more worried about.

He was still rough around the edges, though, complained a lot about the weakness of the hollows, sometimes demeaned her out of the blue and had clear issues with authority. But it did feel like camaraderie and she was just glad to offer support in both battle and problem solving of which he seemed to have a lot. Most of it was petty complaints anyway with bragging thrown in at random points. Orihime felt like a confidant at those times and she had to wonder did he even have a friend back in Hueco Mundo.

Did he seek her out only because she listened to him?

His advice about her problems, on the other hand, wasn't as viable. It was clear that hollows solved their issues differently; taking her boss by the neck and demanding a raise wouldn't fly by too well. He'd even offered to do it for her. The insanity.

After months of being alone, it did feel like she had a friend again and she found herself looking forward to their patrol. She didn't know how, but he had changed. Despite all his faults, he did seem more grounded than he had been during her time at Las Noches. She imagined that it might be because he wasn't under the thumb of Aizen anymore.

She liked talking with him though. People thought of her as weird and kooky, but sometimes Grimmjow knocked her out of the park with his backwards thinking. The life of a human and a hollow were not comparable. At all.

Orihime was a loon for enjoying his company. She shouldn't feel like that, it wasn't right. Didn't help that people were looking at her like one when she talked to him on the streets. Didn't also help that she laughed at his bouts of mischief when he exploited his invisible status on unsuspecting pedestrians.

She didn't even want to think about what her friends would think about this development. They probably wouldn't believe her if she told them. It was a topic she didn't want to breach, at least not until Kurosaki-kun and Tatsuki came back for spring break.

All went well until one day she had mucked up the comfortable routine by being a klutz.

They had just finished taking out a pair of hollows in a semi-woodsy area as the end of their patrol. Grimmjow had been sheathing his zanpakutõ and she'd been jogging towards him in glee. Of course, she had the wonderful skill of tripping over her own two feet and the momentum had sent her careening into him.

He'd caught her, but her momentum had tripped him over the large tail of one of the hollows and he had landed on his back with her on top of him.

She had been eye level with his chin and the mortification made her freeze. She could feel everything, the solidness of his chest under her palms, his intake of breath and… one of her legs had landed perfectly between his and oh boy, one of her 1 am questions about arrancars and how human they actually were got answered.

Her face was aflame, yet she couldn't rip her eyes away from his face and those pretty, blue eyes and hey, go figure, the teal marks weren't make-up.

He'd been just a shocked as her, she had never seen his eyes go that wide, but thankfully he had the motor function to react and push her off.

Up until that point, she hadn't ever really touched him apart from when it was necessary. It skewed her completely. He'd always been just that arrancar guy who was kind of mean and used to be evil and hey suddenly he's supposed to be one of the good guys, helping them in the war.

Sure, she had eyes and had noticed even back during her days in Las Noches that he was attractive, but that had always been shrouded by his evilness and foul attitude. It's amazing how much a person's attractiveness could go down when they manhandled you like a toy and constantly dismissed you.

Now she was screwed, she'd noticed him and she couldn't tear her eyes away. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't he be an evil jerk again and get out of her mind? Her eyes and mind had always been on Kurosaki-kun, he always seemed to be that perfect mix of just what she wanted in a man – caring, determined, outspoken and attentive, not to mention how his confidence was something that inspired her to be more confident herself. Yet she'd always been just Inoue to him, just a friend that happened to be a girl. And she was fine with that, she still held out hope that he'd notice her someday.

All through the next days after her revelation, she couldn't tear her eyes away from Grimmjow and by that point, the blush felt like a permanent addition to her face. She should not stare at his face and his well-defined profile and she absolutely should not stare at his broad back and the little piece of chest he showed with his new outfit. Bad, bad, bad Orihime.

It didn't help that they had this weird friendship between them. And that sometimes when he caught her spacing out and staring at him instead of reprimanding her he'd give her this smirk like he knew what he did to her and that he was enjoying every second of it. It drove her up the wall and she couldn't do anything about it but pout.

Still, despite her embarrassment and the sudden realization that Grimmjow was kind of attractive when he wasn't acting like garbage, she kept up their routine.

Until one day he had suggested that he would show her his progress after she'd had questioned him relentlessly about the Etapa thingy. Her dumb mouth had gotten her into trouble this time.

Grimmjow had picked her up like she weighed nothing and opened a Garganta to Hueco Mundo, jumping into it. They had landed in the middle of a large expanse of desert, only a few lonely tree husks visible.

She had never particularly liked the place and its eternal night. Now when she wasn't as depressed from being a prisoner, she did have to admit that the moon did look beautiful in its eeriness.

He had led her through the desert for a while and like called a pack of hollows and two wandering adjuchas had shown up. Grimmjow had grinned at her and told her to stay put. He pulled out his zanpakutõ and immediately went into his Ressureccion and oh boy, it'd been a while since she'd last seen it. His lithe form was on full display like this, his human features morphing into something more animalistic.

She couldn't look at him without blushing. Bad, bad Orihime.

Like he'd told her multiple times the pack of hollows were no match for him. He had hacked them all up with a feral grin she hadn't seen him wear for a while. To the untrained eye, it almost had looked like he was just mindlessly hacking, but she could see how light on his feet he had been, how swift and quick, almost looking like he had been dancing – a dance of death. He was different from what she remembered, she could sense that he was stronger, but he had also looked more composed and like he had made each slash and rip with precision. It had been beautiful destruction and she had scared herself a bit by realizing how much she had liked watching him move.

When he had been done with the hollows he had approached her still in his Ressureccion and for a moment she had frozen. At this point, she had known that he won't harm her, though she couldn't deny that she had felt his reiatsu flaring and how much he had looked like a predator advancing towards his prey.

He had asked for her thoughts and somehow the simple notion that he had cared what she thought warmed her, so she had told him. Of course, he'd scoffed at her poetic description and had called her a sap.

Still, all this had brought up one thing in her mind. "Maybe the reason why you can't advance is that you're not ready."

"The fuck I'm not." She had agitated him with her words and she'd gotten threatening claws in her face.

Orihime hadn't been afraid though. "I mean, I do think that you're strong enough, but maybe that isn't the problem, maybe the problem is in your head."

He'd sneered at her implication.

"It's like for me Tsubaki isn't strong enough to even harm a hollow if I don't believe in myself enough. I need to be able to think that I can harm."

"You saying I don't want this enough?" He'd growled and the low tone had done funny things to her insides.

She had shrugged in fake nonchalance. "Only you know that."

She had known that from outside her suggestion had seemed preposterous, Grimmjow was a confident individual and didn't doubt his abilities. Deep down she couldn't help but think that maybe he had some of the same insecurities she suffered from. It had been a jarring notion to come to, that an evil arrancar could be similar to her and have doubts, but she had known that everyone, no matter how confident, tended to have doubts.

He hadn't been in the mood to converse to her further after that and had dropped her home. She had been able to see that he had been peeved by her suggestion.

Low-key she had been relieved, looking at him in that form had been making her mind reel. Gods she was such a deprived loser.

That night in bed she hadn't even been ashamed when her hand had strayed. It had felt different to do it while thinking about him. She had never been able to touch herself when thinking about Kurosaki-kun, it always feeling too much like she was staining his image. She'd always been too embarrassed.

With Grimmjow it was different and she couldn't pinpoint why. Was it the seemingly endless loneliness? Was it because she was touch-deprived? Or was it because she appreciated him differently? Maybe it was because it seemed like he actually noticed her. She didn't know, but she wasn't going to complain because she felt great.

xxx

For the next few days she was in a battle with herself and low-key she started to feel like a deranged hag. She thought about him during work hours and tended to even get lost in space. It shouldn't be like this, it shouldn't be this strong.

It had never been like that with Kurosaki-kun. He gave her the fuzzies and made her sometimes fantasise about sweet picnics they both could have in romantic candlelight and how nice it would be if he could just cuddle her and kiss her like she was the centre of his world.

Grimmjow made her feel hot all over and her mind tended to stray to the gutter when it concerned him. It was all about all the ways he could do her, how would he feel in her hands and would his kisses be as biting as his words.

It was like all of the girl between girl conversations she'd had with Tatsuki during high school about the unspeakable acts were coming back to surface. Tatsuki had liked to tease her about it, knowing that she'd blush uncontrollably. She wasn't stupid she knew what was what, living alone pushed her to learn about all facets of life herself. Didn't mean some things didn't make her cover her face in embarrassment.

It was insane, she shouldn't be thinking about an arrancar like that, she shouldn't be thinking about doing things with an evil creature.

She had considered calling Tatsuki and talking about it, that maybe having some good old girl to girl talk would clear her mind. Maybe she just needed to spill her guts and it all would subside and she could go back to thinking about him as just an ally, a friend.

But alas, when she'd called Tatsuki had been busy and after that, she didn't dare to try again. It was too mortifying to admit. Maybe it was a sign that she wasn't wrong in thinking these things.

Still, she pushed her filthy thoughts aside and worked with him in keeping Karakura safe. He conversed with her like she was a friend (both of them had had an unspoken agreement not to ever bring up her little klutz accident again) and he admitted all the troubles he had in Las Noches and how he hated the renovations.

She had just nodded through all of it, not trusting herself to speak about her day lest she suddenly spilt all of her frustrations. If he had noticed her sudden lack of participation he didn't mention it. He probably liked listening to himself talk anyway.

A part of her did wonder what he thought of her now. Did he consider her as a friend? Did he even like her? She had been meaning to ask but had chickened out at the last moment. What if she didn't like the answer? He had a way to word even the most innocent of things as something foul.

It wasn't like he was an innocent party either, she'd caught him staring at her too intensely at moments and there were times when she could practically feel his leering gaze burning her back. Did it mean that he felt it too? She wasn't sure and she wasn't brave enough to confront him about it.

He never treated her differently, like she would expect a guy that liked a girl would do. A part of her was afraid that she was just imagining things and seeing what she wanted. Yet that one time when she'd been knocked back by a hollow on her bum he had helped her get up and had held on for longer than was necessary.

She just didn't know and it was driving her nuts.

It was probably why one of those super successful nights when she'd been happy she'd crossed a line.

Her workday had been fulfilling and she had been ecstatic the whole day about the second season of a favourite TV show of hers airing its first episode that evening. They had been making good progress during patrol, avoided the local shinigami that generally liked to scowl at them for stealing his job and she had managed to take out a random, wandering gillian with a single Koten Zanshun. The cemetery and adjacent woods seemed to attract some of the stronger hollows.

It had made her so happy and he had looked at her with that crooked smile. Her legs had just worked on their own. She had laughed in excitement and thrown herself on him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him straight on the lips. She'd realized what she had done only after she'd pulled back. Her cheek stung from where she had accidentally scraped it against the bone fragment on his face.

Orihime was mortified. She had monkeyed herself around him, legs around his waist, hands on shoulders. Her stomach churned from nerves and her heart beat so fast she heard it in her head. Untangle. Now. Fast.

He was shocked only for a moment before his arms settled around her and pushed her back closer to him. And then he was kissing her.

She was baffled, frozen. How had things escalated to this? He nibbled on her bottom lip and it was like the flood gates got opened. She weaved her fingers into his hair and allowed herself to fully lean into him. He was just as rough with his kisses as he was with words.

One of his hands travelled from her back to the back of her head and angled her, invading her mouth with his tongue.

Orihime moaned into his mouth and she could feel him grin a bit in return. She was burning up and her mind felt like it had fallen into a parallel reality.

Only briefly she felt him move and the next moment there was rough tree bark at her back.

She pulled back for some air and he used the moment to trail kisses down to her neck, nipping at her skin. Closing her eyes, she fisted her hand in his hair as tingles ran down her body from where he touched her. She could have never imagined it like this, for it to feel like this, for his rough hands on her naked thighs to feel like fire. Probably the first time she was glad she wore a skirt to patrol.

Accidentally she rocked against him and he groaned, moving back to capture her lips. He ground his hips against her, hitting just the right spot that made her gasp. Oh gods, that shouldn't have felt that good.

Grimmjow chuckled, pulling away. "Never would have taken you for someone who enjoys this." His voice was lower than usual. He dragged a finger over her collarbone and what was visible of her cleavage, making her shiver.

She didn't know what to say, he was right. A few months ago she would have thought the same because she wasn't the type to go for rough guys like him. It spelt trouble. Except no one was around to reprimand her, no one could judge her and she could fully immerse herself in what made her feel good. She could let herself be free.

He was eyeing her intensely, pupils dilated.

Feeling brave, she mimicked his earlier action and let one of her hands trail down in a barely-there touch to the scar that was peeking out from the opening of his shirt. It looked so gnarly and usually, she would have thought it kind of ugly. On him it looked good, it was a part of his image.

Leaning into her, he nibbled the side of her face with small bites. "Tell me, Orihime do you like it slow and gentle or rough and fast?" His breath tickled her ear and the implications of his words shot straight to her clit. The pressure only increased when he ground his very obvious arousal against her.

Instead of answering she guided him back to her lips. How was she supposed to answer that? The correct words simply weren't coming to her. No doubt he'd be the type of guy to enjoy the latter and she'd probably prefer the former. But what was what she wanted at the moment? She had yet to fully process what was even happening. It all developed so fast.

"Surprise me." Her voice sounded breathy and not like her own, she could hardly believe she managed to say anything at all.

He smirked like the cat that caught the canary. "Have you ever ridden a man, Princess?"

The absurdity of the question for a moment confused her until it settled in and the implication made her stare at him in surprise.

Grimmjow didn't wait for a response and let her down on her feet. The lack of his heat made her shudder. "C'mon." He latched onto her hand and dragged her out of the dark woods.

Like dazed she stared at his back, tingles running up her arm from where their hands were joined. Wow, was he always that much taller than her? That was a long way down to lean for a kiss. And wow, did her mind stray.

He led her into the cemetery, seemingly looking for something.

She was too aroused to form proper thought and for the first time, she didn't question him. The throbbing between her legs was distracting and rubbing her thighs together didn't seem to relieve the pressure.

They weaved through numerous headstones. The dim moonlight coloured the whole place in hues of blue and created harsh shadows under the trees. Normally she would have found it creepy. As it happened normal Orihime had taken a back seat and current Orihime didn't care that they were in a cemetery late at night.

He stopped before a crypt, the stone of it damaged over time from the elements. Without much thought, he broke the lock on the door and shoved it open. It creaked loudly and brought up dust.

Orihime coughed and waved her hand to dissipate it.

Grimmjow dragged her into the darkness of the place. It smelled musty like old earth and dust. Moonlight shone in from the single window of the crypt. Multiple sarcophagi lined the walls, covered in thick layers of dust.

"W-what are we doing here?" She finally found her voice, coughing from the dust.

"Didn't think you'd want your tits showcased to the whole world."

She swallowed, the teasing lilt of his voice just making this the more bizarre. Was she actually doing this? Her heart beat frantically in her chest and any minute she expected to wake up from a weird dream. Because in a crypt, seriously? But then again it seemed a morbid enough of a place that he would gladly drag her into. Hollows liked a place of death.

Her thoughts were conflicting and instead of trying to make sense of them, she pressed closer to him. She just needed to feel again.

He stopped before the sarcophagus that was right under the lone window, catching the most light. He let go of her for a moment to remove his white jacket and sat back down on the sarcophagus, pulling her between his legs. This made her a bit taller than him.

Without missing a beat she landed her hands his shoulders and she kissed him. It was slower this time like they both were just enjoying the act. His hands slid under her shirt and she shivered from the coolness of some of his fingers. There was a clear path he made all up to the edge of her bra. She got the hint, so she pulled back just enough to quickly take her shirt off. The action mussed her hair into a mess.

Grimmjow seemed to appreciate the look for he dug one of his hands into her hair and guided her back to his lips.

She responded eagerly, her fingers working into pulling down the zipper of his shirt. Her progress got interrupted by a mewl ripping past her lips. His sneaky hand had found a way under her skirt and was rubbing her swollen bud right through her underwear.

He chuckled and moved to nip the side of her jaw while his hand slipped past her underwear. She was wet and slick and he had no trouble working his finger around her clit. She chewed on her lip.

"Is this for me?" he murmured, smiling against her skin.

Orihime didn't think she could answer that question, obviously it was, but she couldn't get the words past her lips. "Just touch me, please."

"Whatever the lady wants."

Only for a moment, she deliberated how surprisingly compliant he was, how he seemed to wish for her pleasure as much as his own. He had always been self-serving and now he cared if she felt good too. And that warmed her.

Resuming her previously abandoned task she finally opened his shirt, paying mind to run her fingers over his well-defined muscles. She didn't debate much what she was doing just followed her instincts and easily dipped her hand in his pants. She groaned when he slipped a finger inside, still working her clit with his thumb.

She found her own goal soon enough as well and wrapped her fingers around his erection, slowly moving her hand. With a shudder and a sigh, he rested his forehead on her shoulder. This was what her mind had been fantasizing about, it did not compare to the real thing at all.

Grimmjow nipped at her shoulder, using more teeth than previously. The sudden sharp pain when he bit down made her gasp and she accidentally gripped him tighter. He growled. "Do you think about me when you touch yourself?" She gasped again, except this time he didn't wait for her answer. "Or do you think about your precious _Kurosaki-kun_?"

Oh gods, how can she answer that.

By this point, she assumed that he knew that he wasn't going to get an answer out of her and continued. "I wanked to the thought of your pretty little tits just yesterday. Although they're not so little are they." As if to prove his point he palmed her breast, the clothed mound filling his palm.

Orihime leaned into his hand, the dirty things he was saying, the sensations. Why were they working so well on her? She was not that type of girl. Oh god, if Kurosaki saw her right now he wouldn't recognize her at all. Who was she?

He withdrew his fingers making her whine from the loss and stopped the movement of her hand, taking her fingers in his. He kissed her sensually and she languidly followed his lead. "Take off your underwear," he murmured against her lips.

She stepped back and unhooked her bra but before she let it fall to the ground she tried to mimic his look and tone. "Take off your pants."

Grimmjow laughed, a crooked smile stretching across his lips. "You're an interesting one, Orihime."

Her bra dropped and she revelled in how his eyes instantly strayed to her exposed flesh, the mirth dropping from his face.

"You talk too much." And this was coming from her, someone who had a nervous habit to babble. Her nerves did tickle the edge of her mind and her hands were slightly shaking. But instead of letting herself fall to them, she focused on the actions, mimicking his confidence. She stepped out of her floral skirt and panties, not even daring to remove her shoes lest she'd want cold feet and a cold later.

His eyes followed her every movement. "But you like it."

She smiled sweetly and stepped back into his arms. The cold air bit at her skin and she missed his warmth. It amazed her how easily she could get his attention, how much she could control where his eyes strayed with few precise movements. It was a power she had never known she could possess and it filled her with her own confidence. "When you're not being a jerk."

The familiar smirk was back on his lips and she kissed it away before he could say anything in rebuttal.

Frantically she helped him remove the belts around his waist and pull down his pants and underwear. He had his hands on her hips as he sat back further on the sarcophagus, pulling her with him. Her heart was nearly beating out of her chest. She was practically straddling him and this time there were no layers of clothes between them. She could feel him against her stomach just as hard as he had been in her hand.

He smiled mischievously and laid back, leaving her bare and exposed to the cold once again. He seemed to revel in her sudden panic at being left fully in control. So, so mean.

Still, she laid her palms across his chest and gyrated her hips against his cock. They moaned in unison. She chewed on her lip, carefully watching his facial reactions as she slowly ground against him. The moonlight made his hair appear a darker blue and even with the harsh shadows on his face and the heavy crease between his brows he looked almost serene.

The hands at her hips suddenly stopped her. "Fuck, you're killing me here. Stop teasing."

She giggled, his voice sounded pained. Then again it was sweet torture for her as well, she was throbbing with need for some release. Finally, she took him in her hand and fitted him to her. She watched his face carefully as she sunk down.

He seemed to be more preoccupied with staring at where their bodies joined. His fingers dug into her thighs almost painfully and she couldn't stop the little sounds that came out of her when slowly she started to move. At first experimentally until she found an angle that made her gasp sharply. That urged her to move faster. He tried to match her thrust for thrust.

Orihime was in bliss and maybe, just maybe she wasn't who she thought she was.

Her eyes roamed across his body, to remember who she was doing this with. The bone fragment, the obvious hollow hole just a little under her hands. He appeared like one, but he wasn't human, he was a monster and she was connected to him in the most intimate way possible. This was her now.

One of his hands travelled up to her breast, palming her again and rolling his thumb over her nipple.

She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, a shallow groan slipping past her lips. Why did it feel so good, why did _he_ feel so good? It wasn't right. The slight pain from his thickness should've been bad, something that made her want to stop, yet she loved it, it urging her to move faster.

Suddenly he sat up, changing the angle entirely and engulfed her nipple into his mouth. The shock stopped her and she hugged his head to her chest as he worked his tongue, biting her a bit and making her squeak. She still attempted to grind her hips against him in shallow thrusts.

Grimmjow picked her up, sliding off the sarcophagus, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist and he placed her down on the cold stone, not breaking their connection.

She shivered and gasped from the coldness, breaking out in goosebumps.

He was grinning, eyeing her like she was something to devour, and gathered her wrists in one hand, locking them above her head. He hovered above her and licked his lips before he descended on her, capturing her mouth as he started to move. This time he controlled the pace and just as she had suspected he was rough and fast.

"Orihime," he breathed her name. "Would Kurosaki ever do this for you?" He rolled his hips and she moaned loudly, squirming against his hold. "Answer me."

She panted, eyes trying to focus on him. He was demanding now and squeezing her wrists almost painfully. "N-no," she exhaled almost shakily. Orihime doubted Kurosaki had ever seen her as anything but a friend. She certainly didn't think he'd ever be this rough with her.

"Next time you see him you better remember who really brought you to the edge, who fucked you to completion," he growled, voice low and gravelly.

Orihime mindlessly nodded too lost in how close she was, the pressure building.

He released her wrists and brought the hand down to rub at her clit.

She keened and dug her fingers into his arms. That set her over and she cried her release, convulsing and squeezing him with her legs. Her eyes fell shut and she bit into her lip only briefly realizing that she had dragged down her nails on his biceps.

Sometime during her writhing, he'd come as well, his pace becoming jerky. He was panting, eyes closed and she quietly marvelled at his face. The ever-present crease was still between his brows, yet he looked different. She lifted her hand and gingerly swiped away the strands of hair that were hanging over his forehead. She'd mussed up his hair real good and she couldn't help but think that even with messy hair he looked good.

He surprised her by leaning into her touch even when her hand fell to his cheek, fingers lightly trailing over the teal marks around his eyes. He was smiling though and not in the usual sarcastic way.

She supposed that she should say something, but nothing came to mind, she wasn't a wordsmith and unless she babbled her thoughts in a string of nonsense she didn't know what to say.

Grimmjow chuckled and pulled away from her completely and she shuddered from the feeling, the loss of his heat biting at her skin and reminding her that she still was in a cold crypt. He pulled her to a sitting position by her arm. "C'mon get dressed." He had gathered her clothes and placed them in her lap.

Orihime watched him for a moment as he pulled up his pants and searched for the rest of his clothing. It was awkward and she tried to push down the feeling as she dressed. This was it then. She had never considered it before, but could it be that he had used her just to get something over Kurosaki? Was she just a tool to be used in angering him?

Suddenly Grimmjow snapped his fingers not too far from her face, making her startle. "Oi, stop dreaming and move faster. You didn't really think that I was done with you yet, did you?"

Her already flushed face darkened.

The smirk was back on his face and he leaned down to be eye level with her. "I still didn't get to taste you."

She shuddered as his eyes roamed over her face, settling on her lips. She didn't think it was the type of taste he actually meant. For a moment it looked like he was going to kiss her, but then he pulled away, waiting for her to finish dressing by the door.

Quickly she pulled her shirt over her head and joined him at the entrance.

He was resting one of his hands over the hilt of his zanpakutõ, gazing off into the distance.

Feeling brave she took the other, threading their fingers and pulled him closer to her. "Only if you let me do the same," she whispered in his ear.

His eyes widened a fraction when her implication set in. She smiled when he didn't yank away his hand and chuckled instead.

xxx

After that night their dynamic changed. Orihime had expected for him to bail, yet he kept coming back for more. They still patrolled, but with the new change that came with the addition of kisses after a kill. And she didn't mind.

Neither of them had put to words what it was what they had between them. Orihime couldn't find the correct words to explain it or label it. She was afraid that it might shatter the comfortable thing they had going on. She finally had someone to share her life with, someone who listened to her stories (although he had the habit to shut her up with a kiss mid through sometimes), someone who was just there. They weren't perfect and still had arguments. But she didn't mind being flexible if he did the same for her and accepted that they both were different beings.

The moments he wasn't around he spent in Hueco Mundo, quarrelling with Harribel and Nel, keeping some semblance of order in the desert.

Despite all the problems they faced as two very different people she still enjoyed his company, it made her feel less lonely. She enjoyed their time together and how she got to explore him all kinds of ways. She especially liked how if she pressed him enough she could question him about his previous life and how much did he remember. It was fascinating and eye-opening. At that point she didn't care that he was supposed to be an evil monster, he had become a person in her eyes.

Spring break was coming up and her friends would be coming back home. The possibility that she would have to reveal who she had been spending her time with terrified her. But it was still a while away and she could push it out of her mind. Especially when he was moving so roughly into her. This was one of the rare nights when they'd actually managed to get back to her apartment after a night of patrol and into her bed.

Her legs were wrapped around him, fingers pulling roughly on his hair while he ground into her, mouth playing around her shoulder. He was on the wrong side and the mask fragment scraped against her neck with each thrust he did.

She had learned early on that he liked when she treated him roughly, especially when she pulled on his hair. Orihime had always been gentle by nature, so It had been difficult at first to allow herself to be so harsh. One time she had startled herself when she accidentally had bit on his fingers a lot harder than any human could handle during an orgasm. He had to remind her that no matter what she did she couldn't physically hurt him because of his Hierro. She still had apologized profusely only to get silenced by a searing kiss.

Very much like he was doing now, silencing her moans. It didn't take long for her to come, he knew how to work her and shatter her with an orgasm.

"I think you were right," he started conversationally.

She barely heard him, working her hips in tandem with his to reach his release. She had no clue what he was talking about anyway. She squeezed him and moved from his lips to the side of his mask-less jaw to nibble with her teeth, digging her fingers in his arms.

He groaned and his tempo faltered as he came. "Maybe it was all in my head after all."

Orihime sighed, letting her hands fall back into her sheets while he still hovered over her. "Grimmjow?"

"Hm?"

"What are you talking about?"

His eyes finally met hers and he ran his fingers through her damp hair at the side of her face. "Segunda Etapa."

"Did you get it?"

"Not yet, but I'm almost there."

She grinned and brought him down for a short kiss.

He was first to pull back. "When is the Kurosaki brat coming back anyway?"

Orihime pouted. "You still planning to fight him?"

"Of course."

She averted her eyes. "Are you planning to tell him about us?"

"Not unless you want me to."

The answer surprised her. One of her fears had been that he was only with her just to rub it in Kurosaki's face. Did this mean that he was here for her?

A moment later he was moving in her again, gently. She moaned. Right, arrancar stamina. He unhooked one of her legs and pushed it back almost to her shoulder. The angle changed, much deeper now. She was glad that she was plenty flexible to bend that far. He slowly rocked in her, his pelvis rubbing against her clit. Her hands fisted in her sheets.

Neither of them were good with words, with words of confirmation, of affection. Sometimes she doubted if he even liked her. It was slow moments like this when she remembered that he was a man of action, he showed his affection through actions and the ways he touched her. She could feel it. Her mouth tended to fail her a lot too, so she responded through action as well, kissing him like nothing else mattered.

Once he had randomly commented on how he liked the orange-hued sunsets in Karakura and how different it was from the sky in Hueco Mundo.

She found herself liking the clear blue skies more.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that was a lot sappier than I thought it would get, but hey at least I got to practise writing smut and finally I feel like I'm getting to a point where I can write it with a straight face. This was fun tho, exploring the power dynamics between them. Orihime might also have had some kind of awakening there lol
> 
> I started writing this while still reading Buffy fics and I can just laugh how elements of Buffy accidentally bled into this fic. Seriously, Orihime and Grimmjow are like a discount Buffy and Spike with the patrolling and then there's the crypt thing. Originally I chose the setting in a cemetery because I'm simply morbid like that and I gotta earn my edgelord points somehow, but then it was like..."oh, wait a minute!". If you know Buffy then you know what I mean.
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading all to the end. Please feed my starving ass with your generous feedback. It always means a lot.


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